BodyLogStart with a small group of old progress photos and build an index of what you actually know: source file, capture date, view and any changes to the image. You can organize an incomplete archive without guessing missing dates or deleting originals.
This guide deals with pictures you already have. For the next session, use the separate guide to taking consistent progress photos.
Keep the originals and make a working selection
Collect likely pictures in a working album or folder. Leave the original files available while sorting. Keep a simple note or table alongside the selection; the labels below are your own archive method, not promised fields in BodyLog.
Record the source filename, date evidence, view and whether the image is an original, duplicate or edit. Do not replace the original with a screenshot or cropped copy. An album is a way to group pictures, not an independent backup; Apple explains how Photos albums work.
Separate capture dates from dates added
Open a photo’s information in Photos and inspect its recorded date. Apple documents photo information and captions and sorting by date taken or date added. A recently saved old image can have two different dates in these contexts.
Treat metadata as evidence to check, especially for screenshots, copies and pictures received in messages. Use a dated original or a contemporaneous note when available. Record “September 2026, exact day unknown” if that is all you can establish. If no date is supported, write “date unknown” and keep the image outside a precise dated sequence. Do not assign a convenient day just to make the list sort neatly.
Worked archive: fictional records
The following text example is invented to show the sorting decisions. It contains no real person’s photos or results.
| Source | Date and evidence | View | Archive decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMG_1042 | 4 September 2026; original metadata | Front | Keep as the session reference. |
| IMG_1043 | 4 September 2026; original metadata | Left side | Keep with that session; no back view found. |
| IMG_1042_crop | Same source as IMG_1042 | Front, cropped | Label as an edit; keep the original. |
| Message_copy | September 2026; note, exact day unknown | Back | Keep separately with the uncertainty visible. |
| IMG_2090 | 2 October 2026; original metadata | Front | Candidate for comparison; note different lighting. |
| IMG_2090_copy | Same image as IMG_2090 | Front | Exclude from the working selection after checking; retain originals during review. |
The usable dated pair is IMG_1042 with IMG_2090, both front views. The back image cannot fill the missing 4 September view: its exact session is unknown. The crop is not another session.
Label views, edits and missing pieces
Use front, left side, right side and back consistently. Do not treat left and right profiles as interchangeable. Mark an ambiguous angle as uncertain rather than forcing it into a category. Missing views can remain missing.
Check suspected duplicates at full size before removing anything from the working selection. A similar pose may be a different shot. Identify crops, filters and other edits, and note which original they came from. Avoid deleting source files while deciding which version to use.
Choose a pair with comparable conditions
Check how much of the body is visible, camera angle and distance, light direction, posture and clothing. If one frame cuts off the legs, compare only the shared visible area and retain the full originals. Record differences you cannot correct. Cropping cannot recover missing detail or make different light equivalent.
For the fictional front pair above, a fair note is “same view, different lighting.” That supports a limited visual comparison, not a conclusion about fat loss, muscle gain or the reason for a change. Use the two-photo comparison tool to inspect a selected pair.
Try one old image before importing an archive
BodyLog’s App Store listing describes library import and side-by-side comparison. Import one known-date image, compare the date shown with your source and check that you can find it again. Imported capture-date preservation, date editing and bulk import are not established by that listing. If the date cannot be represented correctly, keep your external index and do not treat the app order as the archive’s chronology.
Check current feature access before continuing; exact free photo limits are unverified. See BodyLog’s photo workflow, the comparison with iPhone Photos and data-management help. Keep the originals after import.